Alexander McQueen

WINTER is coming. There was a distinct Game of Thrones (chill in the) air at this evening's Alexander McQueen show. The trees had fallen and the ground was steaming before the collection even took to the forest land of the catwalk - of which we'd already been given a clue as to from the tree strewn metallic invitation.

This was a McQueen moment of drama as we know and love, but done so in a soft and lighter way. Done so in the Burton way. For ever since her appointment at the house in May 2010, she has been able to so cleverly keep that authentic McQueen DNA, yet also cultivate it with her own stamp.

And this evening that meant buoyant and light, while still maintaining a strong sense of structure, ethereal and ghostly - for a collection that tapped into many a John Snow sartorial style note (swoon on every level).

So Burton gave us heavy trapezed layers of fur that swung as they trampled over growing grassy mounds as hooded parkas and laden jackets or fell out into cape cuts; white broderie anglaise folksy peasant dresses whose sleeves were swollen out into place and then tamed back in by ribbon bows; high Tudor and Stewart collars for regal effect on monochrome flowing gowns; and then indigo-to-green mossy print and moss textured variations of all of the above; then followed by mosaic-shine incarnations too which were surely the social media money shot of the evening.

It was sinister and fairytale all at once with a nod to a Midsummer Night's Dream in there too, the corn rows so tightly wrapped up in the models' hair the perfect segue between past and present that Burton so well has a handle on.

It was surely one of Burton's strongest offerings yet - a world not so far away that anyone would want to be a part, yet still wildly imaginative in creation.